1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information reproducing apparatus for reproducing broadcast information including commercial broadcast information and to a method of the same, for example, relates to an information reproducing apparatus for reproducing a television broadcast, radio broadcast, etc. including commercial broadcast and to a method of the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a recording and reproducing apparatus of a television broadcast, a video tape recorder (VTR) has been generally used, but along with the partial digitalization of television broadcasts and the drop in price of hard disk drives in recent years, recording and reproducing apparatuses storing digital television signals using hard disk drives have been appearing.
In a time shift viewing of television broadcasts using VTRs, the general practice is to view just the intended broadcast by playing back the tape while fast forwarding over the commercial portions contained in the broadcast or by not recording the commercial portions by using a commercial cutting function provided in the VTR.
However, even if fast forwarding in the VTR, the image is not erased, so it is possible to obtain a grasp of what kind of commercial is being broadcast. When an image catching the eye of the viewer is included, sometimes the fast forwarding is stopped and the commercial broadcast is watched.
Further, with the commercial cutting function of a VTR, the commercial portion is detected from for example the type of the audio signal (stereo broadcast or not), but when the target broadcast is a stereo broadcast, a commercial portion, which is usually broadcast in stereo, cannot be detected. Also, there is also the method of detecting a commercial broadcast from a strength of the sound or the interval between scene changes, but if the detection is imperfect, the commercial broadcast cannot be completely eliminated or part of the target broadcasts sometimes ends up also being cut.
Summarizing the disadvantages, in a recording and reproducing apparatus using a hard disk drive or other storage device with a high access speed, the speed of searching through a broadcast content is raised in comparison with a VTR mechanically winding up a tape, so when skipping just commercial broadcasts at the time of reproduction, there is a possibility in the viewer will no longer view the commercial broadcasts much at all.
On the other hand, television stations, which provide broadcast contents free to the viewers, obtain almost all of their revenue from advertisement fees obtained by broadcasting commercial broadcasts. Therefore, if such time shift viewing by recording and reproducing apparatuses becomes prevalent in society and broadcasted commercials are no longer watched by viewers, the advertising effect of broadcasted commercials will end up falling, advertisement revenue will fall, and stations may even be unable to continue operating.